Water filter assemblies for industrial, commercial and consumer use are widely known throughout the industry. It is well know that when water filter assemblies are used by consumers or in consumer goods, they must be limited in size to accommodate available space limitations. As a filter's volume and/or surface area are the key components of filter capacity, these smaller consumer filters have less filtering capacity than their larger commercial and industrial brethren. It is this reduced filtering capacity requiring more frequent replacement that makes it a necessity for consumer water filter assemblies to be designed for quick and convenient filter element replacement.
Unfortunately, the combination of quick and easy replacement along with the consumer's demand for a low price has lead to designs in which water is easily spilled during filter replacement. Due to the consumer water filter's small size, it can be mounted in a multiplicity of locations and orientations. These locations and orientations are often not easily accessible for the consumer which makes clean-up of any spilled water even more difficult. What is needed is a water filter assembly design in which the assembly can be mounted in a multitude of locations and orientations with no detriment to the speed and ease of filter element replacement while also incorporating a low spillage design.